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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE sTERNE, oF PARIS, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING METAL CAPSULES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,633, dated July 20,1897. Application filed April 10, 1897. Serial No. 631,537. (No model.)Patented in England June 1, 1896, No- 11,896.

To all 'u'ho'nz, it *m/m/ concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE STERNE, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing at Paris, in the Republic of France, haveinvented certain new and useful apparatus for filling and closing metalcapsules or containers submitted to great internal pressure and havingnecks with small inlet-apertures, (for which I have obtained a patent inEngland, No. 11,896, dated June 1, 1826,) of which the following is afull,clear, and exact description.

The invention has for its object apparatus for filling and closing metalcapsules or containers submitted to great internal pressure and havingnecks with small inlet-apertures, which may be formed direct in thesubstance of the neck or in or around a lining therein of a differentmaterialsuch, for instance, as ebonite.

I will describe my invention by the aid of the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent sections of apparatus for chargingand closing a metal capsule or container having a fine neck with a smallcentral inlet-aperture and showing the parts in three differentpositions, and Figs. 4 to 12 represent sections of various forms ofcapsule-necks to which my invention is applicable and of dies to actupon the same.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I place a capsule a in a die I), formedwith an aperture fitting the capsule and fitted with a plunger 0, formedon its end to fit the base of the capsule. In connection with this dieZ) is a die (Z, which is movable within an adjustable sleeve 6, screwinginto the framing f, and is pressed outward by a spring g. The dies b andcl are separated from each other a sufficient distance, as shown at Fig.1, to enable the capsule a to be placed within the die I). The die Z),with its plunger 0, is then moved into contact with the die cl, which itmoves, against the pressure of the spring g, flush with the face of thesleeve 6, as shown at Fig. 2, when the nozzle of the capsule will bepressed against the mouth of the small recess h in the fixed die h withsu fficient force to make a tight joint. The die it fits a recess in thedie d, and its recess 7L communicates by a passage 71 with the supply ofgas or fluid under high pressure. Then by opening an inlet-valve placedin a suitable position, such as 7L3, the

compressed gas or fluid is caused to pass through the neck of thecapsule and fill the latter. The said valve is then closed and theplunger 0 in the die I) is moved outward toward the die d, therebyforcing the neck of the capsule into the small recess h of the fixed dieh, as shown at Fig. 3, which recess, being smaller than the originalsize of the neck of the capsule, compresses or crushes the neck and thelining material, if any, so as to effectually close the inletaperturethereof. The die I) and. plunger 0 are then separated from the die (I,when the spiral spring 9 or other suitable means will press the die doutward from the sleeve 6, whereby said die d, which is formed with ashoulder d, fitting the shoulder of the capsule a, will remove theclosed-up neck of the capsule from the closing-recess 7?. in the die it,thereby freeing the capsule and causing it to fall out. It Will beevident that the parts 6 f it may be caused to move to close the neck ofthe capsule instead of moving the plunger 0 for said purpose.

In the capsule and apparatus represented at Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the neckof the capsule is compressed in a merely cylindrical direction, butother forms of neck and of die It may be employed.

In Fig. 4 the neck of the capsule C6 is shown turned inward at its end,so that in addition to being compressed radially to its axis itsmaterial is turned over that in which the aperture is formed. Thisaction is obtained by means of a die h, formed as shown at Fig. 5.

In Fig. 6 the capsuleahasaledge a formed in its neck. A metal plate 0.slightly smaller in" diameter than the upper part of the neck, is placedon said ledge, and a ring of ebonite or other suitable material a isplaced on the plate. A die h such as that shown in said figure, isemployed in connection with such a form of capsule-neck, and in chargingthe capsule the latter has the upper end of the neck pressed firmlyenough against the said die to secure a tight joint therewith and at thesame time leave a free passage from the gas-inlet passage h2 to andaround the plate a and ring 0 whence the gas passes into the capsule a.When the latter is charged, it is moved, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, so asto force its neck fully into the die 7Z5, whereby the upper part of theneck will be turned over the ring a and tightly compress the samebetween it and the plate (1 as shown at Fig. 7.

In Fig. 8 the neck of the capsule a is of similar form to that shown atFig. 6; but instead of employing a ring a a disk a is used. Thisarrangement is employed in connection with the die 72. shown, "and thetop of the neck is forced over onto the disk 0. and compresses the samebetween it and the plate a as shown at Fig. 9.

In Fig. 10 a capsule ai-s shown in which a contraction a is made in theneck to serve as a seat for a plate a on which a disk at is placed, andthe upper part of the neck is turned and compressed over such disk orring by the same construction of die h as that shown at Fig. 8.

If desired, capsules having a disk a placed' on aplate a ,'supported ona ledge in the neck, as shown atFigs. 8 and 10, may have theupperpart'of the neck turned over by a die h of the shape shown at Fig.11, so as to cover or inclose the disk 0. completely, or nearly so, asshown at Fig. 12.

I would here remark that the above several forms of necks for capsulesare shown as examples only, but that my invention isalso applicable tocapsules having other forms of necks, so long as the neck of the capsuleis pressed firmly against a die to secure a tight joint'for the chargingof the capsule and a further motion of the capsule into said dieeffectsthe closing thereof.

If desired, other means may be employed for ejecting the filled andclosed capsule.

It will be evident that various modifications may be made in theconstruction and'arrangement of the various parts without departing fromthepeculiar character of my invention.

Having fully described my:invention,what I desire to claim and secure byLetters 'Patent is 1. In apparatus for filling and closing metalcapsules or containers having small inlet-apertures, the combination ofa die to receive the body of the capsule, a plunger in said die to fitthe base of the capsule, a spring-actuated die to receive the shoulderof the capsule, a die fixed in the frame and having a recess somewhatsmaller than the neck of the capsule,a passage connecting saidlast-mentioned recess with the supply of gas or fluid under pressure,and a valve to open and close the conduit of the compressed gas orfluid, the whole being operated so as first to press the neck of thecapsule against the mouth of the small recess in the die connected withthe supply of compressed gas or fluid for the filling operation, then toforce the neck of the capsule into the said recess to close the aperturein said neck and finally to eject the filled and closed capsule,substantially as herein set forth.

2. In apparatus forfilling and closing metal capsules or containershaving small inlet-apertures,-the combination of dies to receive thecapsule, a recess in one of such dies communicating by a passage withthe supply of compressed gas orfiuid and somewhat smaller in diameterthan the neck of the capsule, means for pressing the neck of the capsuleagainst th'e lnouth of said recess with sufficient force to secure atight joint during the filling operation, means for opening and closingthe passagefor the compressed gas or fluid, means for closing the neckof the filled capsule or container by forcing it into the recess of thedie communicating with the supply of compressed gas or fluid; and meansfor liberating the filled and closed capsule or container, substantiallyas herein set forth.

EMILE sTERNE.

Witnesses:

THEODORE STERNFJ, EDWARD P. MAoLE-AN.

